Various test methods are known and in use for testing the bursting strength and tensile properties of pipe sections. One such method for testing plastic pipe involves the use of water pressure applied to a closed end pipe section and is satisfactory for testing relatively small pipe on the order of 4 inches in diameter or less. However, this so-called quick burst test procedure is quite cumbersome and costly and entails a considerable waste of material when utilized to test larger diameter plastic pipe. Split disc test methods for applying tensile stress to a pipe ring segment by pulling the disc halves apart are also known. See, for example, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Publication Designation D2513-68, accepted July 16, 1968, originally published in 1966; and ASTM Publication Designation D2290-69, current edition effective Nov. 14, 1969, originally issued in 1964. The latter type of test method does not lend itself to the testing of large pipe ring segments of different diameters.
Having in mind the foregoing disadvantages and short-comings associated with known methods of testing pipe, I have developed a pipe ring test machine which can be efficiently utilized for testing segments of plastic pipe ranging in size from one inch up through at least 24 inches in diameter.